VERSE 13. “And the sixth angel sounded, and I heard a voice from the four horns of the golden altar which is before God.” He who stands at the golden altar, making intercession for the suffering sealed ones, answers in judgment on the adversaries. The four angels of judgment are loosed from the great river Euphrates for a definite time. This is a frightful, overwhelming destruction, it would seem, from the East. It is still more terrible than the previous blast of judgment, though something like it. These have breastplates, not of iron, but of fire, jacinth, and brimstone, &c. Fire and brimstone are connected with death and hell and the lake of fire. It would seem from all the figures used, to be a fearful, powerful delusion from the East, that destroys (kills) all that remains amongst men of the knowledge of God: an active delusion from the mouth, leaving its dreadful sting, from the tail behind. This may now also extend to the death of the body. As to the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues, they repented not.
Let us not seek to make of none effect these solemn, terrible warnings, by trying to explain them as referring to the past history of the church. There may have been foreshadowings of these coming woes in the Mahomedan invasion of Europe; but nothing as yet has taken place that at all answers to these almost indescribable judgments. Just as the past destruction of Jerusalem may be taken as a terrible picture of the coming time of Israel’s great tribulation, yet it is a great mistake to suppose that the past was the entire fulfillment of the prophecy, as the coming tribulation is to be such as never has been, and never shall be again. Just so is it a great mistake to suppose the Mahomedan irruption was the fulfillment of these woes, dreadful as that was, and fearful as have been the spiritual consequences, especially in the East. No; these terrors have yet to come on mankind, on the rejecters of the present grace of God.
This is that time, or hour, of temptation which shall come upon all the world, but from which the faithful followers of Christ will be kept. (Rev. 3:1010Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10).) These are the awful judgments of God, which will be poured on this world when the children of God shall have been taken to be forever with the Lord.
CHAPTER 10.
The time is now fast approaching for the Lord to take possession of all nations. “And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a, kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.” (Dan. 7:1414And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. (Daniel 7:14).) But mark, it is not by the gospel He comes to take possession; but here in angel form. Nor as yet as the Son of man. More angelic judgments have yet to take place. “And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud”—emblem of the divine presence. “And a rainbow was upon his head.” His promise as to creation will not be broken. “And his face was as it were the sun”—supreme dominion; “and his feet as pillars of fire.” Oh, behold Him! He who once was nailed to the cross! The divine presence come down from heaven, in connection with this lower creation: supreme authority over all, He comes with burning, consuming judgments.
He does not now take the seven-sealed roll, but the little book open. “And he set his right foot upon. the sea”—the nations outside the earth (that is, the Roman empire) as America, India, China, &c. “And his left foot on the earth.” All must feel His power. It is now an open book, and a try with a loud noise, as when a lion roareth. Oh, ye peoples and nations of the earth, you may shut your ears to the gracious voice of mercy now; but you will not be able to close them to that cry like the roar of a lion, yea, like the noise of thunder. As surely as you read Thee lines, so surely will these terrible judgments overtake you, unless you repent now. It is not only the voice of thunder, but seven thunders uttered their voices. And so terrible are those seven judgments, that John was not permitted to write them. Peter tells us that the Lord is “long-suffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” How long has God delayed His judgments! What has He borne with from this awful thing called Christendom!
But now “the angel which I saw stand upon; the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be no longer delay;” not that there should be time no longer. Time is not reckoned during this interval of grace. In the history of God’s dealings with Israel, Messiah was cut off, the city destroyed, and they scattered, until the time of the end, or last week, or seven years of their history, before the setting up of the kingdom of God on earth, so long foretold to them. (Dan. 9:25-2725Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:25‑27).) Jewish time has not yet begun again. But now there shall be no longer delay. This period in which we live is a mystery. Its great transaction is gathering out the church. It was kept hid, also God’s dealings with the nations until the kingdom—all this was unrevealed in the prophets.
Verse 7. “But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished [completed], as he bath declared to his servants the prophets.” This little open book then will be found to bring before John, and us, God’s dealings. It certainly, at first sight, seemed delightful to get to know the future dealings with God’s ancient people again, during the long-delayed “time of the end.” But when John understood what was about to take place, it turned his thoughts to bitterness.
CHAPTER 11
Up to this point, we must observe, there is nothing peculiarly Jewish in the first ten chapters, except the sealing in chapter 7: now there is an entire change. It is, indeed, most, important to notice this. It is connected with the loud announcement, that there should be no longer delay. Oh, ye groaning Jews of Russia, and inquiring Jews of Palestine, how deeply what follows concerns you. Do you think God can forget His promise to your fathers? Never!” and to think that in this Revelation of Jesus Christ, the last seven years, or chiefly the last three and a half years, of your prophet’s 400 years are opened up to you. You know well that many things were made known to Daniel that should take place to your Messiah, and your city, your temple, and nation, during those 490 years, commencing from the going forth of the decree to rebuild the city. What did take place in the 490 years from that twenty-eighth year of Artaxerxes? Within that period the great sin was committed by your fathers of rejecting and putting to death Messiah. Yet that very death was the reconciliation for iniquity. He was raised from the dead, and everlasting righteousness was brought in. He whom you rejected was received up to heaven, anointed the most Holy.
Your city was, indeed, restored and rebuilt; but instead of Messiah being anointed over you, as He surely will, according to the prophets, in Mount Zion, on the throne of David, He was, as Gabriel foretold, cut off and had nothing. Is it not so? That as to all the promises to Him and to you, He and you for eighteen centuries and more have had nothing. Now do you notice the last week of this your prophecy has yet to be fulfilled? (Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27).) Will you now read Mic. 5:22But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2)? Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem. He is to be ruler in Israel. He first. goes up to God; and His goings forth are from eternity. Every word is true and clear, the moment you see Jesus, Jehovah-Savior, to be your Messiah. He was cut off, has nothing here, is gone up to God. He will surely come again, and you will see the wounds in His hands. And when the first dominion is given to you, He will be ruler in Israel. And yet He is Jehovah from eternity. Do you now see that during your long dispersion, time has been delayed? But the mighty angel says it shall be delayed no longer. One word more: if Jesus was not your Messiah, then it would be to make your prophets prophesy falsely, which is impossible; for if Jesus was not Messiah, then no Messiah appeared within 490 years; no reconciliation was made for iniquity; Gabriel’s prophecy would fall to the ground.